17/07/2026 General News
Over the 73 years that we have been holding auctions at Keys, we have seen our fair share of unusual lots and surprising prices realised. But without doubt, one of the most striking examples came in 2010, when we sold a set of false teeth for a staggering £15,200, writes Tim Blyth.
The reason for this astonishing hammer price? They belonged to wartime prime minister Winston Churchill, having been specially crafted to preserve his natural lisp.
This is just one example of items associated with the great man which have attracted bidders at auction. On more than one occasion we have sold a half-smoked cigar which had graced Churchill’s lips; there seems to be no end to the fascination in one of the 20th century’s towering figures.
There are several reasons that items associated with a man who died more than six decades ago are still so sought-after by collectors. They all revolve around the fact that Churchill was such a revered figure who had a massive influence on 20th century history; the artefacts provide a tangible connection to those pivotal events, they are reminders of the resilience Britain showed in those dark war years.
Churchill’s larger-than-life persona and iconic habits (such as the ubiquitous cigar) create instantly recognisable memorabilia. In addition, he was a man of many talents – a statesman, a prolific author, a skilled painter and so on. This means there are a vast number of items associated with him out there, appealing to collectors in many different categories.
These include what might be called ‘everyday’ memorabilia such as Toby jugs and commemorative coins (such as the Churchill Crown minted in 1965, the year he died). A step up from that are items which were touched by the great man himself, such as letters, signed government documents and even those half-smoked cigars.
Churchill was a keen amateur artist, painting landscapes and still life, and although these works were mainly created for leisure, they can now make serious money in the saleroom – the record paid for an original painting by Winston was £8.28 million (this was the only painting he completed during the Second World War, and it was originally gifted to US president Franklin D Roosevelt).
Fascinating though all of this memorabilia is, the thing that true Churchill scholars like to get into is his books, which give the truest insight into the way the man thought and what drove him.
Churchill published more than 50 individual volumes during his lifetime, ranging from historical memoirs to biographies. Signed or inscribed copies of these, especially first editions, always perform well in the saleroom.
Keys’ Summer Fine Sale, which takes place next week, sees a number of such items going under the hammer. Churchill’s ‘The World Crisis’, his 3,261 page account of the First World War was published between 1923 and 1931 and is widely viewed as his masterpiece. We have four (of the six) volumes in our sale, all signed by Churchill and dedicated to Robert MacKenna, a dermatologist who treated him in the 1950s.
Also in the sale is a four-volume, first edition copy of Churchill’s ‘History of the English’, also signed and inscribed to Dr MacKenna, with an estimate of £1,500-£2,000; copies of his ‘My Early Life’ and ‘Lord Randolph Churchill’, similarly inscribed (estimate £1,000-£2,000); and a collection of Christmas cards, an order of service from Churchill’s funeral and various period magazines (estimate £100-£150).
As we prepare to welcome our seventh prime minister in ten years, it is hard to imagine that any of them will hold such a fascination for collectors in future decades. In that respect, Churchill was – and remains – a truly unique icon.
Keys Summer Fine Sale takes place on Wednesday 22nd, Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th July at their Aylsham salerooms and live online. A full online catalogue is available at www.keysauctions.co.uk.